4 youngsters in Houston, Texas, have been charged Thursday for assaulting and making an attempt to steal Bitcoin and Ethereum from an OnlyFans influencer in early March. Kaitlyn Siragusa, recognized on-line as “Amouranth,” was sleeping in her residence in northwest Houston when three males broke into her room and demanded cryptocurrency, reported FOX 26. Siragusa had beforehand posted on social media a screenshot of her greater than $20 million in cryptocurrency balances, in response to the New York Publish.
The three males allegedly pistol-whipped the OnlyFans influencer thrice earlier than Siragusa’s husband fired photographs on the suspects, who then fled Siragusa’s residence, in response to FOX. The Harris County District Clerk’s Workplace recognized the three males on Friday as Demarcus Morris Jr., 17; Dylan Nesho Campbell, 18; and Bryan Anthony Salazar Guerrero, 19. Officers additionally recognized a 16-year-old as a suspect.
“They brought duct tape and masks and were armed with handguns,” Siragusa posted on X.
The assault and tried theft is only one of a collection of latest assaults on people with recognized crypto holdings.
In late January, French police leapt into motion after a gaggle of criminals kidnapped David Balland, cofounder of the crypto {hardware} developer Ledger, and his spouse, demanding a ransom in Bitcoin. French authorities, nonetheless, tracked down the abductors and rescued the couple. Balland’s spouse was discovered unhurt however the Ledger cofounder had his finger severed within the ordeal. The Paris prosecutor’s workplace mentioned that police had arrested 10 people alleged to be a part of the kidnapping.
And in February, six males have been accused in a Federal Bureau of Investigation affidavit of kidnapping three relations and a nanny from a Chicago townhouse, in response to the Chicago Tribune. The criminals launched the victims after they pressured the household handy over greater than $15 million in cryptocurrency.
Crypto executives and rich crypto homeowners are taking discover. Some are hiring bodyguards to guard themselves from would-be attackers, in response to WIRED. And others are shopping for up “wrench-attack” insurance coverage, or insurance policies designed to insure people in the event that they’re the victims of a physical-force crypto theft.
“In general the best things Bitcoiners can do to stay safe is to remain private,” Jameson Lopp, a well-known early Bitcoiner, advised Fortune. “The goal should be to avoid becoming a target,” he mentioned. “Don’t go around telling anyone about your Bitcoin holdings. Don’t flaunt your wealth online or in meatspace. Don’t engage in risk activities such as high-value face-to-face trades.”
This story was initially featured on Fortune.com
